Arab News By Menekse Tokyay April 22, 2021 ANKARA: The US has reportedly informed Turkey of its formal exclusion from the new F-35 consortium agreement. The long-awaited decision comes as little surprise, following Turkey’s acquisition of Russia’s S-400 anti-aircraft weapons system, amid fears over its compatibility with the F-35 and its possible use for Moscow to obtain intelligence on NATO members. Turkish companies are expected to fulfill commitments to manufacturing thousands of parts for the F-35 program until next year, but Ankara will no longer be able to obtain the aircraft. Turkey now faces a decision over its direction in terms of military procurement, with relations with Moscow complicated by the latest standoff between Ankara and Kremlin over Ukraine. Sinan Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat and chairman of the Istanbul-based Center for Economics and Foreign Policy (EDAM), told Arab News: “Exclusion from the F-35 program has two important consequences. One is obviously about the companies that have until now participated in the manufacturing process of the F-35s. There is no going back because the manufacturing process shifted away from Turkey to other countries.” The other consequence, he said, concerned the Turkish airforce and Ankara’s deterrence power without the acquisition of the fifth-generation aircraft. “There is no real, tangible way to replace the F-35s with another such platform. The only commercially available fifth-generation platforms that could potentially replace them is the Russian Su-57, and the Chinese (Chengdu J-20) but both of them will create more complications given that they are not NATO-interoperable, and it would be considered a signal that Turkey is distancing itself further away from the West,” Ulgen added. In February, Turkey hired a Washington-based lobbying firm to attempt to orchestrate a return to the F-35 program with a six-month contract, claiming that its removal was not fair. The lobbyists were also expected to get back money Ankara paid to buy over 100 of the jets, but as yet nothing has come of this. “Turkey could work on creating the conditions for its return to the F-35 program, which will require an elaborate negotiation with the US. If that is not possible, and if CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) sanctions are not lifted, Turkey could create its own domestic fighter plane (development) program,” Ulgen said. “So far, there has been no solution for manufacturing (an) engine for that potential plan. Secondly, even if that problem is solved, Turkey can only acquire a sizeable number of these airplanes — realistically speaking — in a timeframe of between 2025 and 2030, which means that Turkey’s air superiority will be diminished given that many countries in the region have started to require fifth-generation planes. It will be a strategic gap if it is not addressed properly.” On Thursday, Selcuk Bayraktar, executive of Turkish drone producer Baykar, and son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced that his firm had accelerated its National Unmanned Combat Aircraft project. It remains to be seen to what part Russia will play in future Turkish military procurement. As Ankara voices support for Kiev amid Russian military reinforcement along its border with Ukraine, Turkey’s defense ties with Moscow might become unsustainable in the short run. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said on Wednesday the Kremlin will scrutinize the prospect of military and technical cooperation with Turkey if Ankara delivers drones to Ukraine. That was triggered by a report in Turkey’s pro-government Turkiye newspaper claiming that Ankara was ready to sell its weapons and drones to all countries, including Ukraine, following their successful deployment in the recent conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh. Ulgen said the future of military and industrial cooperation with Russia remains clouded, with Borisov’s statement showing how difficult it would be to rely on Moscow as a safe partner. “It also demonstrates the differences between trying to find alternative suppliers outside of the NATO framework. Unlike some NATO partners like Canada, which halt supplies of some specific materials and don’t go beyond that, Russia is trying to gain and use leverage over Turkey, and put pressure on Turkey’s foreign policy positions through its supply lines to the military,” he said. Last week, Canada canceled permits for high-tech arms exports to Turkey over the “credible evidence” that the Canadian technology, as an end-user, was diverted to the fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh last year.
Author: Vanyan Gary
Pentagon excludes Turkey from F-35 fighter jet production program
21:08, 22 April, 2021
YEREVAN, APRIL 22, ARMENPRESS. The USA has excluded Turkey from F-35 fighter jet production program because of the latter’s purchasing of Russian S-400 missile systems, ARMENPRESS reports, citing Ria Novosti, Ppentagon representative Jessica Maxwell announced.
”Our position has not changed. S-400s are incompatible with F-35s and Turkey’s participation in the production program has been suspended”, she said.
The USA has sent an official writ about this to the Turkish Government.
Biden’s Expected Recognition of Armenian Genocide Shows Turkey’s Fading Influence, Analysts Say
The MediaLine
04/23/2021
Previous US presidents have avoided using the term ‘genocide’ out of fear of angering key NATO ally
US President Joe Biden’s expected recognition of the Ottoman Empire’s mass killings of Armenians as genocide is a sign of Turkey’s waning influence over Washington, analysts told The Media Line.
Biden is expected to make the recognition on Saturday, Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, according to US reports, which cited unnamed officials.
Turkey’s foreign minister told a local news channel that such a move would harm relations with the United States.
That sentiment was echoed by Turkey’s main opposition party, The Republican People’s Party, in a statement released on Thursday, denouncing the possible move by Biden.
“This is unjust, unwarranted and inappropriate. We do not accept this characterization,” the party said in its statement.
Turkey, where many revere the Ottoman Empire, accepts that Armenians were killed but has long refuted equating the deaths with genocide.
“Genocide recognition is going to be a large blow to the Turkish government,” said Berk Esen, an assistant professor of political science at Sabancı University in Istanbul.
He says Biden has been angered by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s policies that went against US interests and believes the Turkish president can’t respond too strongly while he is dealing with a major spike in COVID-19 cases and an economic crisis in his country.
Relations with the US are especially important to Turkey’s economy, which strongly relies on foreign investment.
A 2018 diplomatic dispute between the two countries over Turkey’s detention of US pastor Andrew Brunson led to Washington placing sanctions on Ankara which sent Turkey’s currency into free fall.
Genocide recognition is going to be a large blow to the Turkish government
Economists said the image of Ankara arguing with the biggest economy in the world played more of a role in the economic crisis than the sanctions themselves.
Esen told The Media Line that the recognition of genocide would show how low US-Turkish relations have sunk, considering previous presidents avoided using the term so that they would not upset an important NATO ally.
Turkey has made a slew of decisions since the dispute that have harmed ties with Washington, including launching an offensive against US-allied Kurdish forces in Syria and purchasing an advanced Russian anti-missile defense system, the S-400s, which led to Ankara being kicked out of the US F-35 joint strike fighter program.
“I think the deterioration in US-Turkish relations really is the big difference maker here,” said Alan Makovsky, a senior fellow for national security and international policy at the Center for American Progress in Washington, who previously worked on Turkish affairs at the US State Department.
Turkey’s geopolitical position, bordering Iraq, Iran and Syria, has made it a valuable NATO ally, including by hosting a base which was used by the US to launch attacks against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
Makovsky told The Media Line that a Biden recognition of the Armenian deaths as genocide would be a signal to Turkey that it doesn’t have the amount of leverage it believed it did.
“It’s a problematic relationship. The US is starting to hedge its bets a bit … people still see [Turkey] as important strategically but I think Turkey has lost its veto power in certain areas in the US, including on this issue,’ he said.
Makovsky added that the lack of a strong reaction from Ankara after the US Congress passed a resolution to recognize the deaths as genocide showed there probably would be no major fallout from such a move.
Even before he became president, Biden said he would take a tough line with Erdogan, telling The New York Times he would support the opposition.
Since taking office, Biden has not held a phone call with Erdogan even as the Turkish president attempts to strengthen relations with his Western allies.
Turkey ended up with no friends to advocate for Ankara’s position in Washington
Aykan Erdemir, a former member of the Turkish parliament with the main opposition party, told The Media Line that Turkey would likely act the same as it did to other countries which have recognized the genocide, such as by recalling the US ambassador.
Erdemir, senior director of the Turkey program for the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said such a clash with the US would be short-lived but welcomed by Erdogan who could use the row to distract the public from the country’s domestic issues while playing to his nationalist base.
He said the recognition of genocide by both the Senate and House of Representatives in 2019 showed how bipartisan skepticism of Erdogan has become in the US.
“Ultimately, the Erdogan government’s policies have isolated Turkey in Washington,” he said. “Turkey ended up with no friends to advocate for Ankara’s position in Washington.”
Situation gets tense near Armenia PM’s governmental mansion, police and citizens clash
News.am, Armenia
Situation gets tense near Armenia PM’s governmental mansion, police and citizens clash
22:12, 21.04.2021
The situation near the governmental mansion got tense when police officers and demonstrators clashed after the demonstrators threw eggs at the governmental mansion.
Police quickly went into the crowd to apprehend those who had thrown the eggs, but the demonstrators tried not to let them apprehend the people, after which they got into a clash. Nevertheless, the red beret police officers sat people down in the police car. The demonstrators surrounded the police car and demanded that the police release them, but the police drove away.
During the clash, drivers passing by the area expressed support to the citizens by honking.
Today citizens gathered near the governmental mansion and held a demonstration in support of the residents of Syunik Province whom Pashinyan had threatened to punish.
Charity program in Armenia’s Masis town for 920 million drams by benefactors Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans
Panorama, Armenia
Society 17:37 20/04/2021Armenia
The street in the Armenian town of Masis named after the well-known benefactor and businessman, Hrant Vardanyan, the construction works of which started in February of 2020, was completely renovated at the expense of Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans. The street, at 3,2 km length, was completely demolished and rebuilt again.
All water pipes passing under the street have been replaced. A new drainage network has been built. The street was paved with quality materials. There are 96 light poles installed along the entire street equipped with modern LED lights.
Transport stops with modern solutions have been installed. 292 Pink Robinia trees imported from Europe and in a view of the natural and climatic conditions of Armenia had been planted on the street, and the subsequent care of trees will be carried by an automatic irrigation system.
The total budget of the charity program was 920 million drams.
PRESS RELEASE – EPIC Chosen as National Organizer for Entrepreneurship World Cup in Armenia
The Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC) of the American University of Armenia (AUA) is the official national organizer of the Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC) in Armenia. The program offers entrepreneurs across the country the opportunity to compete globally for a share of US $1 million in cash prizes, plus additional investments and another US $750,000 of in-kind support. EWC is now accepting applications for 2021, aiming to exceed the past mark of 175,000 contestants from 200+ countries in its first year.
“EPIC, through the Open Center of Excellence for Innovation Advancement, is proud to accept responsibility for hosting this event in Armenia. We hope to use EWC as a platform for not only supporting and promoting Armenia’s entrepreneurs, but also as a vehicle for collaboration and purpose with our local venture and industry partners. To this end, we are in dialogue with our local startup ecosystem partners, universities in Armenia, the government, and the local business community to share responsibility for the success of this event. Together, as national co-organizing partners, we will plan, promote and execute the national competition for the benefit of all,” shares Dr. Michael Kouchakdjian, director of the Open Center of Excellence for Innovation Advancement and EPIC.
EWC is more than just a global pitch competition with a shot at securing life-changing prizes. It elevates entrepreneurs from all stages — idea-stage, early-stage, growth-stage or beyond — by providing them with tools and resources to grow their ventures.
EWC Accelerates is a virtual training and mentorship program that helps entrepreneurs hone their skills and increase their chances of winning in their national competitions, and advancing to the Global Finals.
The EWC online platform also offers all contestants who complete the application access to more than $25,000 in perks from partners such as Google Cloud, Hubspot, Stripe, and more.
“We strive to make the EWC Armenia a truly pan-national event that will include the entire spectrum of Armenia’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, from individual entrepreneurs to government and from IT industry to fine arts. Thus, we don’t consider any limitation for the type or nature of entrepreneurial ideas and ventures that may compete for the Entrepreneurship National Cup. As a growing entrepreneurial nation, we believe that Armenia must have at least one deserving representative in the EWC Global Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,” remarks Nejdeh Hovanessian, assistant director of the Open Center for Innovation Advancement and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at EPIC.
National Finals are held through July 2021 in Yerevan. In November 2021, the 100 winning startups from around the world will be flown to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to participate in the EWC Accelerates program for an intensive startup bootcamp and to compete in the EWC Global Finals.
Presently, EPIC is seeking potential sponsors for the EWC Armenia competition. Businesses and organizations interested in sponsoring awards and prizes can contact EPIC at epic@.
The Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC) is a platform of the American University of Armenia (AUA) for promoting entrepreneurial education, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and startup venture incubation. EPIC provides an ecosystem for emerging entrepreneurs consisting of first-class facilities and collaborative workspace, programs and events, and a network of mentors, advisors, and investors. EPIC fosters the understanding and application of entrepreneurship in students and faculty at AUA to craft high-impact multidisciplinary ventures.
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Margarit Hovhannisyan | Communications Manager
Margarit Hovhannisyan|: Communication manager
+374 60 612 514,
mhovhannisyan
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American University of Armenia
Republic of Armenia, 0019, Yerevan, Marshal Baghramyan Ave. 40:00
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CivilNet: Care Providers in Armenia Need Support to Overcome Post-War Trauma
CIVILNET.AM
11 Apr, 2021 08:04
Nayiri Nahabedian is a member of the Glendale Unified School District Board of Education and a professor of social studies at California State University Los Angeles.
She is currently in Armenia and had the chance to observe how psychologists, social workers and professors deal with the post-war situation in the country.
Nayiri talks to CivilNet’s Ani Paitjan about the urgent need to support the work of care providers, or in her words, to heal the healers who themselves have gone through trauma.
Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh initiated the campaign Family History-the History of Victory
Panorama, Armenia
April 6 2021
Society 13:25 06/04/2021NKR
The servicemen of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh initiated an action dedicated to the 76th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War called Family History – the History of Victory, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported.
The beginning of the action was initiated at the monument to 104 soldiers – natives of the village of Khanabad of the Askeran region of Nagorno-Karabakh, who died in 1941-1945 on the fronts in battles against the Nazi coalition.
In order to increase the interest among the younger generation in the topic of the Great Patriotic War and prevent the distortion of history, the servicemen of the Russian peacekeeping contingent will continue to regularly take part in the lessons of Courage. Together with the teachers, the peacekeepers will regularly meet with schoolchildren and students and tell them about the exploits of the heroes of the war of 1941-1945.
In addition to the campaign Family History – the History of Victory, the Humanitarian Response Center of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, in cooperation with the administrations of Mardakert, Martuni and Askeran districts, initiated work on the improvement of monuments to soldiers who went to the front from Nagorno-Karabakh and died during the Great Patriotic War.
These actions, carried out with the direct participation of the servicemen of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh, will last until May 9 – Victory Day, the source said.
Azerbaijani press: Azerbaijani Ombudsperson responds to HRW on allegations of mistreatment of Armenian POWs
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Mar.24
Trend:
The recent report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) on the mistreatment of Armenian prisoners of war (PОWs) held in Azerbaijan reflects a biased approach and misleads the international community, the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsperson) of Azerbaijan, Sabina Aliyeva said, Trend reports on Mar.24.
Aliyeva made the remark commenting on the allegations of mistreatment of the Armenian PОWs in HRW’s report dated March 19, 2021.
The Ombudsperson stressed that in any report on sensitive topics such as conflicts, their consequences, PОWs, alleged violations of international humanitarian law, etc., the principle of objectivity must be observed, and in order to avoid a one-sided position, only verified facts and well-founded arguments should be used.
“Reference should be also made to materials and facts from reliable sources, such as independent international and local human rights organizations. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen these principles in the HRW report. On the contrary, we continue to witness double standards, distortion of truth and facts,” she noted. “We expect HRW to investigate and interrogate former Azerbaijani POWs who can provide detailed information on their mistreatment. At least before publishing its reports, HRW could review our report on the treatment of Azerbaijani prisoners of war and hostages who were in Armenian captivity.”
The report of the Ombudsperson contained testimonies about the treatment of the released Azerbaijani prisoners and hostages, which were given by these persons themselves. For example, during a conversation personally conducted by Aliyeva, one of the former prisoners of war said that he had been hit with a sharp metal rod, another said that a current had been passed through him, and the third that he had been repeatedly burned with a lighter.
According to her, at a face-to-face meeting with her, one of the released Azerbaijani POWs said that during the Second Karabakh War (from late Sept. through early Nov.2020) he was heavily wounded in the left leg and right eye as a result of a large-caliber weapon shot. After being captivated, the bleeding organs of the soldier were sutured by an Armenian doctor for about 3 hours without using pain relievers or other anesthetics to stop the bleeding. Besides, the nurses in the hospital, injecting him with medical alcohol, demanded to repeat what they said, and if the prisoner refused to do so, they subjected him to even more torture and cruel treatment.
Along with the above, Azerbaijani prisoners weren’t given the opportunity to communicate with family members and relatives, reminded Aliyeva.
“The above are just some of the facts that we would like to bring to the attention of HRW. More details can be found in our recent report on the mistreatment of Azerbaijani prisoners of war in Armenia (sent to international organizations on January 2021). The report also contains links to videos demonstrating indisputable facts of torture and ill-treatment of Azerbaijani prisoners of war by Armenian soldiers,” she further said.
“International humanitarian law requires that the parties during armed conflict treat prisoners of war humanely under all circumstances. We would like to point out that when calling on the parties to comply with the requirements of the Third Geneva Convention, HRW must observe impartiality,” the ombudsperson commented.
She also emphasized that in full accordance with the joint statement of November 10, 2020 (between presidents of Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia’s prime minister to end the Second Karabakh War), the Azerbaijani side returned all Armenian POWs to Armenia.
“During both the First (1992-1994) and the Second Karabakh Wars, a clear indifference had been demonstrated to our country, to repeated calls against war crimes committed by the armed forces of Armenia against Azerbaijani civilians,” said Aliyeva. “Turning a blind eye on the above, as well as on the fact that Armenian political leadership held a part of the internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan under occupation for almost 30 years, as a result of which 1 million people were expelled from their homes, that during the hostilities, prohibited ammunition and weapons were used against civilians, as well as the refusal of Armenia to provide maps of minefields in the formerly occupied territories, and crimes against Azerbaijani prisoners of war are in no way compatible with the concept of justice.”
The Ombudsperson’s report on the ill-treatment of Azerbaijani POWs also reflected the issue of three Azerbaijani civilians taken hostage by Armenia in 2014 in the formerly occupied Kalbajar district.
“One of them, Hasan Hasanov, was subjected to tortures and killed. Two other civilians, Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev, were subjected to various forms of physical violence for six years, in connection with which Azerbaijan repeatedly raised the issue before the relevant international organizations. The report details our meetings with each of them after their release and their testimonies,” she noted.
Aliyeva also reminded that she met with the Armenian prisoners before their return and studied the conditions of their detention. They were given the opportunity to communicate with family members or relatives over the phone. The Ombudsperson gave them the European Convention on Human Rights in their own language and explained their rights. More detailed information is available in the report of the Commissioner for Human Rights in Azerbaijan and on the official website.
“We believe that HRW should conduct an objective investigation. We urge HRW and other relevant organizations to refrain from disseminating any biased reports or statements that may lead to hatred and further human rights violations,” she concluded.
Pashinyan comments on statement of First President Levon Ter-Petrosyan
14:10,
YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. During a meeting with the residents of Nerkin Bazmaberd in the Aragatsotn province today Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan commented on the statement of First President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan according to which he proposed the PM to find asylum in another country with the insurance of legal guarantees for impunity.
“Levon Ter-Petrosyan is making a statement, says “let’s organize the PM’s departure from Armenia for him to find asylum in another country. I didn’t get it. During his glorious political career Levon Ter-Petrosyan has twice showed a very good example of escape. Do I look like a man who can escape? If the people decide to shoot me, I will stand humbly under that shooting wall. Let no one think that I will run from any decision made by the people”, he said.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan